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The Illinois General Assembly passed the Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA) on May 21, 1996. Since that law was enacted, livestock facilities in Illinois that house over 300 animal units (for example, 750 finishing hogs, 214 dairy cows, or 300 beef cattle) are required to have at least one person certified in the environmental protection aspects of manure management. The "Certified Livestock manager" is expected to be familiar with the facility's manure management system. The certificate, administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, is valid for three years.

University of Illinois Extension acts as the subcontractor to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, to provide the CLM training required by the LMFA and to develop resource materials that support the training program.

Who Needs Certification

In Illinois, livestock producers with more than 300 animal units must be trained and certified in manure handling procedures. There are two levels of CLM certification, depending on facility capacity.